Wiktionary

runman

English edit

Etymology edit

run +‎ -man

Noun edit

runman (plural runmen)

  1. (historical) A deserter from a ship of war.
    • 1947, Bruce Grant, Isaac Hull, Captain of Old Ironsides:
      The problem became so acute that the American ships moved across the bay to Algeziras because the English commanders "have treated us with great indignity and protected runmen, or deserters and refused to give them up and anchored so close as a further inducement for them to swim to the English ships."
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